ATF raids Lake of the Ozarks gun store, confiscates all firearms
Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) raided the Skelton Tactical gun shop, 6196 Osage Beach Parkway in Osage Beach, at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 9.
According to gun shop owner Jim Skelton, approximately 15 agents entered the shop – seven deep -- in full riot gear bearing automatic weapons.
“They questioned me as to how I had been selling firearms,” Jim said. He added, “The ATF alleges:
•An undercover agent purchased one of his personal firearms out of Skelton's truck without background check.
•Skelton sold an 1898 black powder 30-40 firearm over the counter without a background check. According to Skelton, the sale of an 1898 30-40 does not require a background check.
•Skelton sold a firearm to an undercover agent without a background check. “Two undercover agents, a woman and a man, came into my shop to purchase a firearm.” The woman filled out the proper background paperwork and purchased the gun. The ATF alleges the male agent purchased the gun. “How was I supposed to know she was buying it for him?” Skelton said. “If she would have told me she was not the purchaser, I would not have sold it to her.”
Skelton’s brother, Ike Skelton, a witness at the gun shop during the raid said, “When I started to record them they took my cell phone and told me to stop. They searched me and took my gun.” ATF agents confiscated all the guns in Skelton Tactical, and Ike’s business, Skelton Key and Lock, claiming it was for their ‘safety’.”
The ATF was at Skelton Tactical all day on Tuesday.
According to John E. Ham, public information officer for the ATF Kansas City Field Division, “A federal search warrant was issued as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into violations of federal firearm laws.”
Ham said he could not give further details because it was an ongoing investigation. He said there were no arrests, no one is in federal custody, and there were no plans to arrest anyone, even at the conclusion of Tuesday’s search warrant.
“The next step, usually in several days, through the federal judiciary, the warrant will be unsealed by the court. Then we will give more specific information on the criminal investigation and the reason we applied for, and obtained, the search warrant from a federal judge,” Ham said.
Additional information will be released to the public at that time.
“According to the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution, it is the right of the people to keep and bear arms,” Ike said. “This right should not be infringed upon. Each and everyone of these agents swore to uphold the constitution against all foreign and domestic threats, and they are infringing on our right to bear arms. The ATF should not even exist.”
The ATF took Jim’s license to sell firearms.
“I will appeal and fight this with everything I have,” Jim said.
This article originally appeared on Lake Sun Leader: The ATF was at Skelton Tactical all day on Tuesday.
